#28: Appetite

It is undisputed that France, also remembered by some as «La Grande Nation», has lost some of its glory over the last 500 years or so since the term «l’appétit vient en mangeant» was apparently first used. And yet, the French still have a point.

The Passage by Justin Cronin was my first ever book with close to 1,000 pages, 963 to be precise, that I read from start to end. I wasn’t the book addict then that I consider myself today. Hence, finishing that book represented a personal landmark achievement for me.

Thin books were good books. The reason was simple. You could read them quickly. Tick. Done.

How did The Passage help me challenge that long-held belief?

I literally got sucked into it. The more I read, the more curious I became. Or as the French say, «appetite comes with eating». The consumption of the book lead to an increased appetite for more.

Nowadays, a book either presses that button or it doesn’t. Once it does, you almost feel sad when flipping the last page. «Oh no… please, don’t end!».

The same holds true for similar situations such as new projects, first introductions to people or visits to unknown places. I flip through the first few pages and observe my initial reaction.

Does it trigger curiosity?

Does it evoke emotions?

What am I craving for?

Then I will just indulge myself or I won’t. It will either result in an appetite for more or it won’t. That is perfectly fine. I surely no longer worry about the duration of the resulting journey if it feels right.

I am looking for the craving. It is not the lack of food resulting in hunger. It is the desire for something else.

A few hundred or even thousands of pages? It doesn’t matter once the appetite has been awakened.

So enjoy your meal, or as the French say, «bon appétit»!